Willis-Knighton to open region's first proton beam center in 2014

4:29 PM,
Jul. 17, 2013

Written by

A $40 million project at Willis-Knighton Health System will marry proton radiation with magnetic targeting to treat tumors in hard-to-reach places.

Dr. Lane Rosen, director of radiation oncology, started encouraging health system officials to create a proton therapy center seven years ago. Construction started in 2012. The project will take a leap forward when a cyclotron that creates the protons arrives Friday.

The 220-ton cyclotron and its custom-built home are considered compact. The equipment will support a single treatment room instead of the four or five rooms at most centers. ...